World’s tallest hotel debuts in Dubai

The JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, dubbed the world’s tallest hotel by Guinness World Records, made its grand debut Tuesday. The twin-tower, 72-story hotel rises 1,165 feet. It’s nearly as tall as the Empire State Building but measures about 1,500 feet shorter than the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai a few blocks away.

The hotel, which began welcoming guests in November, features 1,608 rooms and suites (804 in each tower). Only one tower is currently open, and the other will debut in 2014. The hotel has 14 restaurants, bars and lounges, including Levant, an Arabic restaurant, and Rang Mahal from Michelin Star chef Atul Kochhar. Nightly rates for a standard room start at about $218 in March and $177 in April. Visit the hotel’s website for more information.